


Test Me

by Tiberias



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-26
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-18 08:50:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7308307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiberias/pseuds/Tiberias
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hannigram AU where Will Graham is a social worker specialized in adult safeguarding, and Hannibal is a brain injury survivor, who spent his early life struggling to survive after he was abandoned in an orphanage as a baby, where he was almost cannibalized. Two different worlds will soon clash together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my wonderful beta Elliotmyheart (Ao3) / Cupofeli (Tumblr) :)

* * *

“What’s your name?”

“…”

“On this document it says Hannibal.”

“H-Hannibal, yes.”

“Ok then, Hannibal, my name is Will Graham and I’m your new social worker.”

“…”

“Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Y-yes…I think yes, w-what happened to Mrs. Bloom?”

“She’s on maternity leave, now it’s me looking after your case.”

“Case, yes, I’m your case now.”

“Listen, Hannibal, I know that this is a very difficult moment for y-”

“M-my life, I-I struggled for all my life, i-it’s ok, this is o-ok.”

“…”

“Can I have a glass of water please, I-I feel dizzy.”

“Oh yes sure, wait… here should be a bottle of water… here… somewhere…wait..ah-oh there!”

“Thanks.”

“Ok, as you know our job is to protect vulnerable adults and help them to-”

“I-I am not vulnerable, only d-damaged…almost-eaten.”

“Oh-ok Hannibal sorry, I was only explaining my job and-”

“I-I know your job, you-you are the fifth consuellor, they…they keep p-passing me on-on t-to someone else.”

“Yes, that’s because your case is really-”

“Problematic, ho-hopeless?”

“You like to finish my sentences, don’t you?”

“No, I-I-m only tired Sir.”

“Will, please call me Will.”

“Ok W-Will…I-I am tired a-and in p-pain.”

“I know, Hannibal I know.”

“C-can we do this l-later, I would like t-to go.”

“Where?”

“…”

“Where Hannibal?”

“I-I don’t know … please.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Will loses Hannibal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my wonderful beta Elliotmyheart (Ao3) / Cupofeli (on Tumblr) :)

**** "Hey Will what a nice surprise, please come in!"

"I-m sorry I should have-"

"No, no, it's ok, please come in!"

Will steps inside and kneels down to caress Applesauce, "awww look how happy she is to see you!"

Will smiles, "Uncle Will has got something for you!"

"Awww look Applesauce, dog cookies! Thanks Will," she smiles watching her dog happily bark at Will.

"Peanut Butter-Bacon dog cookies," he corrects grinning happily as he feeds some to Applesauce.

"Come, can I offer you some coffee, or juice, beer...?" She asks while walking back into the kitchen.

"Coffee please and ... a big slice of that amazing thing," he grins, pointing out an apple cake sitting in the middle of the kitchen table.

"I baked it for Margot, me, do you believe it?" she laughs, her cheeks lightly flushing.

"Pregnancy is having a good effect on you!" Will jokes sitting down at the table.

"You sound like Margot!" she slaps him lightly on the head, "how big?"

"More...yes!"

"Where do you put all that fat Graham?"

"Here!" he smiles patting his soft stomach and then, proceeding to wolf down big bites of the cake, "my compliments to the chef, it's amazing!"

"Eat slowly!"

"Can't, sorry!"

"I'm guessing that you didn't came here to see how much I swelled up, didn't you?" she asks sitting down slowly, at the table with a big cup of hot tea.

"No, to be honest I came here for the cake!"

"Will..."

"Can I have another slice ... please mom?!" he asks while pushing a paper folder toward her.

"Oh Lecter's case, I thought they passed it to Zeller."

"Nope, he refused to take it and Price also backed off from it, so uncle Jack passed...more like dropped, it on my lap," he clarifies, before starting to attack the second slice of the apple cake, "why can't I find someone who can cook for me?"

"You are too unstable to find someone Graham," she jokes while going through the papers, "god, how many times have I gone through these papers?!"

"Tell me something, no wait, tell me the whole story," Will asks leaning back against the chair, while massaging his belly, "can I have a piece of cake to go, please?"

"Will Margot ever have a piece of it, left?!"

"Tell her that I'm not as lucky as her, who has a fantastic cook all for herself!" Will shrugs, pulling out from the folder a photo. "A few days ago, he came to me, and I couldn't even get his name from him!"

"Give him some time," she sighs, taking the photo from him, "I'm glad Jack passed his case to you."

"Yeah, thank you Alana, really thank you!"

"He spent his whole life in pain, he was abandoned when he was only 5, and a few years later they tried to eat him and his sister-"

"Wait, they ate his sister?"

"They ate her and ... and made him eat- sorry it's horrible, I feel sick," she gets up and walks to the sink, filling a glass with some fresh water.

Will stands up and goes to embrace her, "Shhh...I'm an idiot, sorry, we don't have to talk about this case."

"Then...then, they proceeded to eat him,"

"What fucking kind of orphanage were they in?!"

"No, they were put in adoption, to a wealthy family"

"How lucky!"

"They were monsters...Hannibal was very smart for his young age, so they wanted to eat his brain, in order to... to gain more intelligence," she explains, "it's not clear how he was saved, but he spent years going back and forth from various psychiatric rehabilitation hospitals, until he was sent here, for a recovery education program, that..."

"Wait let me guess this...didn't end up well!"

She nods and goes to sit back at the table, fingers lightly playing with some crumbles, "he escaped and ended up living on the streets, until some years ago someone sent him to the hospital and they asked us to step in and take care of his case."

Will sighs, finishing his now cold coffee, "Where can I place him? I mean ... he barely can keep attention for 1 second!"

"He's not stupid Will, get to know him better and you will see it!" Alana tells him, "give him time, he needs time to trust you, you are his fi-"

"Yeah, yeah I'm his fifth counsellor, I know, he told me that."

Alana nods, "he is very handsome," she says flipping his photos toward Will.

"Margot would not approve-"

"I think it's your type," Alana jokes, "unstable like you!"

Will rolls up his eyes, "I'm not a protected class, besides I don't need a zombie in my life! Ok it's late, I need to go back home to feed my dogs...I got a new one!" Will widely grins.

"Really? Oh god now you have ten dogs!"

"Yes Ma'm!"

She stands up and they walk back to the front door, "they are my life, my little corner of paradise."

"Humm good, knowing you, and your attract-factor, I bet that sooner or later you will have an eleventh stray dog!" she smiles as Will leans down to kiss her swollen pregnant belly.

"You know me, there are never enough!"

"Oh, your folder wait!" she stops him, walking back to the kitchen to retrieve it from the table.

"Do you know where he lives? Yesterday he was supposed to come to an appointment, but didn't, and I called the shelter where he's supposed to stay, but they said that he doesn't live there anymore."

"Damn! He has this habit to not stay in the same place for too long, between these papers there should be a list of places where he likes to go to hide, I made it some months ago...so you might want to go and check if he's living around these areas."

Will nods, "I'm so happy Alana, so fucking happy  you can't imagine," he says sarcastic, "he is just what I needed right now in my life!"

"The cherry on top!"

"Yep, the cherry!"

"Nothing happens by chance, my dear Will!"

"Said someone who was in the mood to give a reason to all the shit that was happening to him!"

* * *

"Now if I was a sort of a zombie, with a half-eaten brain, where would I go?" Will asks to himself, as he gets into his car, after having checked the last place listed on Alana's list.

Will sighs and takes out from the paper folder one of his photo, "where are you Hannibal?"

He sighs tiredly, "fuck!"

* * *

"Did you find him?"

"Nope."

"Does Jack knows that you lost your ...case?"

"Nope."

"Do you intend to tell him, after a whole week of fruitless research?"

"Nope."

"Will..."

"Alana..."

"Shit he will find out ...eventually."

"You scared him off."

"No he came, stayed mute for the whole time, and then asked for some water and if he could go home, I said no!"

"A-Alana are you laughing?"

"N-No."

"Liar...well at least someone is laughing, me instead, I'm on the verge of crying."

"Liar."

"Ok, ok, perhaps not crying but screaming...yes screaming would do fine..."

"Then scream."

"No, I would scare my dogs."

"Alana please tell me that in this fucking list you left out I dunno...something, like...like I don't know, Neverland? Little Prince's planet? A cave where he goes to hide like a fucking stag?"

"Baltimore is not that big."

"Said the woman who got pregnant and dropped this hot shit on my lap!"

"Do stags go to hide in-"

"Alana not now please!

"Sorry!"

"There...she laughs, again!"

"Sorry!"

"No you are not! Ok gotta go, I need to slam my dinner into the microwave,  and then wash three of my lovely dogs, who spent their afternoon rolling in their own shit!"

"Ugh!"

"Pray for me Alana!"

"Lord send him help-"

"A cook!"

"Lord send him a cook, with a big nice coc-"

"Night Alana!!!!"

"Night Will!"

* * *

Will drums his fingers over the steering wheel, absently chewing his bottom lip, while driving back home.

"Look at what the fucking hour is, Jack really felt the burning need to hold a fucking meeting at this fucking hou--whoa Jesus wait!" he exclaims, slowing down his car while looking at the tall man leaning into a car.

He quickly stops his car and gets out, "Hannibal!" Hannibal!" he calls him, "no shit wait, Hannibal!"

"Hey I was talking with him you fucker!" a large man yells from inside his car.

"Fuck off! Go home to your wife and kid!" Will hisses threateningly, slapping the hood of his car.

"Don't run Hannibal, Haaaannibaaal! Jesus worst than trying to catch a stray dog ... Hannibaaaaaaaal wait!"

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I wasn't selling myself!"
> 
> "Do you think I'm stupid?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my wonderful beta Elliotmyheart (Ao3) / Cupofeli (on Tumblr) :)

**** Snow is falling on the windshield as they sit inside Will's car.

"Alana forgot to mention to me that you are an hooker," Will says sarcastically.

"I'm not an hooker."

"Oh, really?! Then please, explain to me what you were doing with that man? Asking if he believes in God and wants to join the Roman Church?!"

Hannibal sighs in evident distress, "ca-can you unlock the door?"

"No."

"I w-want to go, y-you ca-can't keep me locked here!"

"And where do you want to go Hannibal?"

"You a-are making me uncomfortable." He says massaging his temples.

"Me? Really?!" Will asks, turning to look at him.

"Yes, you ... you are sarcastic, salty and ..."

"And what Hannibal? You are under my custody, yet, you were out selling your ass!"

"Stop it!"

"No! Hannibal no!"

"I wasn't selling myself!"

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

Will stares at Hannibal, the older man is fidgeting with the hem of his battered leather jacket. He looks very pale, like someone who doesn't have so much to eat and a proper place to fall peacefully asleep.

He slams his hand over the un-lock button, "go, go away, go back on the street, get out to freeze your ass!"

"You seem quite fixated with my ass."

Will head snaps toward him, and Hannibal chuckles amusedly.

Will shakes his head in disbelief and locks the doors again.

"I only wanted a place to sleep." Hannibal sighs, nervously scratching his chin, "I knew him, that man, Franklyn...he..he always pays good and doesn't ask so much in return, he likes my company and ...a-and he lets me cook too."

"Oh so you can cook?"

Hannibal nods, tongue licking his scarred upper lip.

"Ok then," Will exhales starting the engine.

"W-where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe."

Hannibal tenses, "l-last t-time they..they told me that ... t-they opened m-my skull to eat m-my brain."

"I-m sorry."

"Don't need to be f-for s-something that-that wasn't your f-fault."

"It wasn't your fault either."

"M-Mischa...m-my sister, w-was m-my fault ... my responsibility," words choking in his throat as he falls in silence, head turned toward the window, and Will doesn't dare to emit a sound.

Later, as he drives through the snowstorm, he notices Hannibal's hands twitching as a clear symptom of anxiety. He takes one of his hands away from the steering wheel, placing it over one of Hannibal's, thumbs gently soothing him, trying to calm and reassure him.

Hannibal stops shaking and after a few minutes is out of this world, fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "H-Hannibal..."
> 
> "I did what I could, with what you had, Will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my wonderful beta Elliotmyheart (Ao3) / Cupofeli (Tumblr) :)

"Hannibal."

"..."

"Hannibal, we are here."

"..."

"Hannibal?"

"Yes Will, that is my name."

Will chuckles softly shaking his head, "sorry, I thought you were still asleep."

Hannibal looks around in silence, he can't see almost anything, it is all wrapped in darkness.

"Yep, as you can see there's big nothing around here, only us, 1 house and miles of field," Will says getting out from the car, he can hear the dogs barking from inside the house.

He slams the car door shut, it's already snowing strong and abundantly, but Hannibal stays inside the car, "Hannibal, come out, please."

"Why should I trust you?"

Will sighs pinching his nose, "It's snowing pretty hard, I'm freezing and starving, plus I ache everywhere, oh and I'm tired, if you come inside I will give you all the reasons why you should trust me."

"I don't trust you," he slowly repeats licking his scarred upper lip, eyes piercing Will's ones, reddish-brown challenging green-blue ones.

"And I don't find you interesting but I have a duty toward-"

"Am I a...duty?"

"Hannibal please..."

"Do you have dogs?"

"Yes, many dogs that are surely in need of food and to empty their bladders ... Hannibal please come out or-"

"Or what Will?"

"Fine, you know what? Stay there, freeze your ass, I'm tired and not in the mood to argue with you or anyone in particular!"

Will starts to walk toward his house, he silently curses himself, why did he bring Hannibal here, at his house, his nest, his shelter ... his safe place.

"Salimmo sù, el primo e io secondo, tanto ch'i' vidi de le cose belle che porta 'l ciel, per un pertugio tondo. E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle."

Will stops and turns toward the heavy accented, low, husky voice, reciting what appears to be a phrase in Italian.

"It's Dante's Inferno, Canto XXXIV," Hannibal smirks advancing slowly in the snow, toward him.

Will opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. In the recesses of his mind, a little voice whispers that he wants Hannibal to speak to him in Italian as often as the older man can.

"What convinced you to leave the car?" He asks fishing the keys from his pockets.

"Sono curioso,"

"What?"

"I'm curious."

Will inserts the key in the door, then biting his lips he asks softly, "about what?"

"About what will happen, of course."

A shiver runs down his back as a moan remains strangled in his throat, "...of course."

All the dogs jump at him as soon as he opens the door, Will kneels down to pat and kiss each of them, whispering sweet nonsense, "boys and girls, this is Hannibal."

Hannibal walks inside and let the dogs sniff him, "you seem to have a small kennel living with you here."

"They are my pack, to be honest they are much more than that, they are family, my only family."

"So no Mrs. Graham, I deduce."

"You deduce right, no one sane of mind would like to date me, believe me!" he laughs as he starts to fill the bowls of dog kibble. He can feel Hannibal's eyes on his back, they are like two fixed burning points that are closely studying, analysing him, as he feeds the dogs. Will feels so exposed like that, bent forward, with his ass full in sight ... and strangely his heart seems like it's gone crazy, beating fast against his rib cage. Everything around them is quiet, dark, and because of the snow, one cannot see or distinguish where the land ends and the sky begins.

Eventually he decides to break the awkward silence, descended upon them.

"Hannibal as you can see I'm not gonna open your skull and eat your brain, so you can take off your jacket and make yourself at home, I need a shower," he says avoiding to meet his eyes, then he quickly climbs the stairs and disappears inside the tiny bathroom.

* * *

"Maybe I'm stupid," Will thinks much later, as he slips into an old light grey t-shirt and a comfortable pair of flannel pajama pants, "yep, perhaps I'm really stupid, in having let a total stranger with brain issues, wander alone for all this time in my house... and maybe I deserve to find all my dogs slaughtered by him," he sighs while combing his wet hair with his fingers, and his eyes catch for a brief moment his image in the mirror, his cheeks flushed red from the heat of the shower, his wet dark hair, curls dripping water droplets on his shoulders, and his slightly erect nipples showing through the thin soft material of the t-shirt.

"Hannibal," he calls as he descends the stairs, while adjusting his t-shirt, his nipples have always been so sensitive to temperature changes.

"H-Hannibal..."

"I did what I could, with what you had, Will."

"Wait-What?"

"You made very clear that you were starving." Hannibal smiles gently placing on the table a saucepan with inside what appears to be roast chicken and potatoes, the scent is lovely and very inviting.

"You really are a cook, indeed!"

"So it appears."

"It looks good," Will says going to sit at the table ... said table set as Will has only seen in magazines or at some fancy party he attended.

"You tell me," Hannibal smiles sitting down in front of him, at the small table.

The first bite of roasted potatoes almost melts on his tongue, Hannibal looks at him expectantly. The next bite of the chicken has Will almost moaning, the flesh is very tender and perfectly seasoned with spices ... part of Will wonders where  
Hannibal found all these ingredients...

"This is delicious, thanks."

Hannibal nods and starts to slowly eat his meal, they stay in silence, sometimes the dogs whines, asking for food, and both Hannibal and Will don't mind to share a succulent bite with them.

"I think they're already in love with you," Will smiles looking at their happy wagging tails.

Hannibal nods, “there is an old saying that the fastest way to conquer someone's heart, is to spoil him or her with food.”

Will notices that from time to time Hannibal's hands trembles, and from time to time he has to stops to eat and wait for the tremors to stop, "it's a kind gift left by my adoptive parents."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

Will nods, "are you in pain?"

"Yes."

Will gets up and silently goes to look into the pocket of his jacket for the blister of painkillers, "here, take two of these."

"On your folder it's written that you go on months without medical checks," Will points out watching him dry swallow the pills.

"It's useless, they all keep saying the same thing, I'm damaged, I have to live with this."

"Maybe you caught some sexually transmitted disease."

Hannibal head snaps up to look at him, and for a moment Will doesn't know if he sees pain or disdain swimming into his bottomless eyes.

Will looks away, "forgive me, I was rude."

"I eat the rude."

"..."

"Never mind, finish your dinner," he gestures to Will to sit down.

They finish to eat in silence, Will from time to time glancing at him, the older man looks very tired and pale, body intermittently twitching.

"You can sleep there, I have a bedroom upstairs," he says while helping Hannibal to clean the table and dry the dishes.

Hannibal nods while silently washing the dishes, his lips stretched into a thin line like holding back pain and tiredness.

When they are done, Will takes his dogs up with him, but Buster doesn't seem to want to leave Hannibal, he just goes to curl up at the end of the bed.

"Leave him there, it's ok," Hannibal says catching Will's arm, preventing him from pushing the dog away from the bed.

Will, at the contact of the warm, rough hand on his skin, it feels like a jolt and he quickly retracts his arm, "O-ok, then good night Hannibal."

"Buonanotte, Will."

Will goes up but after a couple minutes comes down again, "here use this sweater and pajama bottom, they are too large for me, so you don't have to sleep in your clothes."

Hannibal smiles, looking down at the red sweater, "thanks Will."

"Are you ok?" Will asks, noticing that he looks very pale, feverish and his skin is sticky from sweat.

"Yes..."

"Hannibal!" He yells trying to catch him as the older man faints on the floor, with an heavy thud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dante Alighieri (1265–1321).  
> The Divine Comedy.  
> Inferno [Hell] Canto XXXIV - 130
> 
> We climb’d, he first, I following his steps,  
> Till on our view the beautiful lights of Heaven  
> Dawn’d through a circular opening in the cave:  
> Thence issuing we again beheld the stars.


End file.
